Peter Cat Recording Co. is an experimental band from New Delhi, India, known for their eclectic blend of genres that includes jazz, gypsy, cabaret, ballroom waltz, and even Indian classical music — and in this myriad fusion of musical styles, they’ve managed to find their groove (get it?), resonating with artists all over the world; even recently, performing to a full house in Ohio, in the United States. What is it about them that makes them tick? Let’s take a look at some of their music!
Since their formation in 2010, Peter Cat Recording Co. gained significant recognition with albums like “Portrait of a Time” (2010) really laying the solid foundation to their musical style, which they’re quoted as saying is “Imagined as a radio station from the near future or a vinyl from the distant past”.
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Most Critically Acclaimed Album : Bismillah
With their hunger to experiment and constant blurring of genre boundaries, they eventually struck gold with their 2019 album, “Bismillah“; which stands out as a turning point in their discography. It’s an album that takes you through a journey of lush orchestration — with influences that reach far and wide; with tracks like “Floated By” capturing a dreamy, nostalgic feel, while “Heera” showcases their ability to blend traditional sounds with contemporary influences.
Clown on the 22nd Floor
From their earlier work “Portrait Of A Time“, this song is a fan favorite for its haunting melodies, and deep, introspective lyrics that strike a chord immediate; from motif to colour, this song brings it all — and befitting of the name of the album it decorates, it indeed is an intricate portrait, groundbreaking for its time with its sound and its sepia-tinged sound that does not fail to amaze to this day.
Floated By
This track from Bismillah captures the dreamy, jazz-infused sound that defines Peter Cat Recording Co. With its waltz-like rhythm and lush orchestration, “Floated By” is both nostalgic and modern, showcasing the band’s unique ability to blend the old with the new in a way that feels entirely fresh. This song is also paired with an absolutely beautiful video that brings us visuals from the vocalist, Suryakant Sawhney’s, wedding day, showcasing the friends and family that have been in accompaniment through times thick and thin. Encapsulating the dreamy, endearing nature of the album, this track is by far the fan favourite out of their discography.
Control Room
A gem from BETA (2024), their latest release, “Control Room” is one of those tracks that captures the essence of Peter Cat Recording Co. perfectly. It’s moody, reflective, and drenched in a kind of melancholic nostalgia that only they can pull off — and blend this with the beautiful flutes and sweeping strings and Middle-Eastern influenced sounds in the background that ring throughout the song, and you have a powerful, absolutely beautiful listen that only this band can pull off.
The band’s experimental, no-holds-barred approach to songwriting is best encapsulated from the vocalist, Suryakant Sawhney, quoting such:
There wasn’t much discomfort. We don’t really try to write about specific personal experiences. It’s more so we are all producers and we put music together that way. We look at ourselves more as producers and less as a typical band.
New Release – Beta
On their latest album, “Beta”, they also further push the boundaries of their music on tracks like “Connexion”, a happy, uptempo rock track that brings all the mystical magic of their sound, and blends it with a dreamy, ethereal soundscape that is just downright addictive. With further advances in tracks like “Just Another Love Song” and “Something About You”, this album is a befitting add to the string of successes that Peter Cat Recording Co. has familiarised themselves with over the past decade and a half.
Upon announcing their first U.S. tour, the band sold out three nights in New York and four in Los Angeles almost instantly — with no fluke, mind you; their music has been captivating audiences in North America for as long as they’ve existed; and in another instance, half of Europe swung to their songs, thanks again to the very ambitious and extensive tour they embarked on in the summer of 2019. The response was overwhelmingly positive, the band says, and their album launch shows in Paris very well attended — highlighting the well-kept not-so-secret that is this band.
Meanwhile, in 2024, Peter Cat Recording Co. is gearing up for one of the largest tours by an Indian band. The 77-concert Good Luck Beta 24 run will hit the ground running in August, covering North America, Europe, the U.K. and India (December). The tour will have the band performing new music after a gap of about five years — so keep your calendars marked out for this bunch, coming to a street near you soon!
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